Day 1

HR Primer for Free and Charitable Clinics with Annabelle Cruz-Orengo, Senior Director of Operations, TCCN

Workplace laws are evolving quickly. Employers should review their policies and procedures to ensure that they are updated as new laws take effect at the federal, state and local levels and to promote good HR practices. In this session, we will discuss the fundamental role HR policies and practices have in creating effective organizations. We will also review some key elements that should be included in HR policies and practices.

​Learning Objectives: An understanding of Human Resource practices including best practices for hiring, and how to develop an effective Employee Handbook.

Improving Patient Experience Through Empathy with April Steele, Research and Insights Manager, Epic Pivot

Empathy is the foundation of human-centered design—a method of problem-solving that centers on the experiences of real people in the process of developing solutions. Because charitable clinics and programs  provide care to patients who are dealing with complex challenges, understanding patients' needs, beliefs, and experiences is critical to developing services and delivery models that work. In this session, participants will learn about patient-centered design: What it is, why it works, and how it can be applied in their own organizations. Participants will have the opportunity to practice using empathy to solve a problem, and will leave with a set of tools to improve their clinic's services, care delivery, and patient outreach practices.
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Learning Objectives: Learn about patient-centered design: what it is, why it works, and how it can be implemented in your organization, about human-centered design principles and how they can be used to quickly, cheaply, and effectively solve problems, and practice using empathy to solve a problem giving you a set of practical tools to improve your clinic's services, care delivery, and patient outreach practices.

​Collaborations and Intersections: TCCN and TAADAS with Mary Linden Salter, Executive Director, TADAAS

Mary Linden Salter highlights past collaborations between TCCN and TAADAS and discusses identifying barriers and brainstorming solutions that encourage future collaborations in three areas: 1. Advocacy, 2. Physical and behavioral health intersections and co-occurring treatment including: a) Naloxone distribution, b) MAT, c) Pain Management,  d) Shared providers, and 3. Describe RX Aware and prevention education/campaigns.
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Learning Objectives: Identify and discuss areas for advocacy involving collaboration between TCCN and TAADAS, identify one area/co-occurring treatment/intersection for service delivery collaboration between your program and that of a TAADAS member, and identify one prevention topic that you can implement.

Day 2

Building Community Resilience with Tarik Smith, Senior Director of Programs, TCCN, LaToya Alexander, Meharry Community Wellness Center (MCWC), and Lauren Brown, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health, MMC

​This workshop focuses on resilience and recovery. Resiliency is the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.

Learning Objectives: Operationalizing RESILIENCE, and demonstrating skill with OARS: Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections and Summarize

Strength Based Approaches for Community Care with Tarik Smith, Senior Director of Programs, TCCN, LaToya Alexander, Meharry Community Wellness Center (MCWC), and Lauren Brown, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health, MMC

This workshop focuses on Motivational Interviewing, an evidence-based approach to behavior change.

​Learning Objectives: Defining the four principles of Motivational Interviewing as a counseling style, identifying at least two alternative strength strength-based approaches, and demonstrating at least two methods of eliciting change talk.

​Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care with
Maria Michonski, Statewide Training Specialist, Sexual Assault Center

In an introduction to trauma-informed care, this session covers a broad overview of trauma, what trauma-informed care means, and practical implementations of trauma-informed care.
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Learning Objectives: Establish a common understanding of trauma, learn a set of skills and information to enable you/your practitioners to treat clients/patients in a trauma-informed way, and practical methods of implementing trauma-informed care, including language to use, office practices, and more!

Client-Centered Family Planning Services and Resources for Free and Charitable Clinics with Yoshie Darnall, Women’s Health Clinical Trainer, Division of Family Health and Wellness, Reproductive and Women’s Health, Tennessee Department of Health

Reproductive health has been a mired in a history of injustices and inequities. Discover the true meaning of family planning and how healthcare providers and staff can engage with clients about their reproductive health in a non-judgmental and unbiased manner. Learn about PATH, a person-focused framework that fosters reproductive autonomy and aligns with reproductive justice core values. Explore barriers to family planning access and the available family planning resources and training opportunities to free and charitable clinics.
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Learning Objectives: Discover client-centered Family Planning counseling, PATH as a client-centered framework for assessing reproductive goals, and family planning resources and training opportunities.

​Representation Matters: Tools for Successful Community Engagement with Elizabeth Hart, Director, Office of Faith-Based and Community Engagement, Division of Health Disparities Elimination, Tennessee Department of Health

​De-stigmatizing STI Testing and Treatment for LGBTQA+ Communities with Dr. Brice Thomas, ART Clinical Care Manager, Music City PrEP Clinic

Community engagement is an effective mechanism to address health equity and reduce health disparities. Engagement combined with storytelling can lead to lifestyle changes and help facilitate healthier neighborhoods. What is just as important is who is sitting at the table having these discussions, lending their knowledge and having the opportunity to tell their stories. The Office of Faith-Based and Community Engagement in the Division of Health Disparities Elimination at the Tennessee Department of Health has strategically created a pathway for community and faith organizations to be heavily involved with the work of public health through the Tennessee Health Disparities Task Force. The group consists of nearly 1,400 individuals who represent multiple age, ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. In this session, attendees will learn just how to engage with diverse communities, how to reduce stigma through community engagement and how to both build and sustain partnerships.
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Learning Objectives: Learn how to engage with diverse communities, reduce stigma through community engagement, and build and sustain partnerships.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant health issue for Tennessee young adults that can result 
in negative health outcomes. One out of five people in the United States is estimated to have an STI, and since 2014, chlamydia and gonorrhea rates in TN have steadily increased. While disparities in the prevalence of STIs range from demographics to access to sexual health education, sexual orientation is a significant contributing factor. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to participate in risky sexual behavior than cisgender heterosexuals such as having unprotected sex. However, the stigma of sexual orientation and sexual practices has led to the stigmatization that inhibits regular sexual health screening and the use of prophylaxis such as PrEP. This session will present the components of the Music City PrEP Clinic (MCPC) experience, which encompasses four important pillars that are the strength of the organization: mission, purpose, and vision; philosophy of service; prioritized service essentials; and great experiences by design. The MCPC experience means world-class affordable sexual health care and wellness with attention to earning every patient's trust through safety, courtesy, showcraft and efficiency.
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Learning Objectives: Learn about disparities and barriers to STI testing and treatment for LGBTQA+ communities, how to identify the stigmatizing elements and barriers to hospitality in your setting, discover the power of "dual discussion protocols", and individualized stigma-free interview processes.